This is classic YA at its finest: emotionally poignant, but written in a highly accessible style with powerfully relatable relationships at its core.There is real consumer appetite for stories which make their readers think, and in particular #ownvoices books that deftly tackle real issues.This beautiful and moving read is also highly entertaining and romantic - perfect for fans of Angie Thomas, Nicola Yoon, and Adam Silvera.XiXi perfectly captures the trials of growing up that all young adults face, whilst also brilliantly speaking about the specificity of belonging to a minority group, and in particular the second-generation immigrant experience.This feels like a ready-made #BookTok sensation - it's definitely a book which will make you cry!Yuxi 'XiXi' Tian is an attorney at Google by day and a writer by night. She emigrated from China when she was a year old, and grew up in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, on which Margaret and Annalie's town is based. Before working at Google, Yuxi attended Harvard Law School, and for a brief period dabbled with the idea of becoming a literary agent. She now lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and cat.This assured YA debut interweaves uncompromising truths about prejudice, identity and belonging with sweet, heady romance and a nuanced depiction of sisterhood.An impressive first novelThis book made me feel seen in a way that very few books ever have.[A]n exciting new voice in YA . . . this moving debut is not to be missed.
Two sisters. A shocking racist incident. The summer that will change both of their lives forever.
Annalie and Margaret are sisters who agree on only one thing: that they have nothing in common.
Annalie is seventeen: sweet, content, and looking forward to a summer of flirting with the most popular boy in school.
Margaret is nineteen: ambitious, a warrior for social justice, and desperate to forget her ex-boyfriend in New York City.
When their family is the victim of a racial attack, Annalie tries to pretend it never happened - but Margaret wants to fight back. Suddenly their relationship - and all the ones around them - are hanging by a thread. And then a crushing secret threatens to tear them apart forever . . .
A beautiful and powerful story about family, identity and the secrets we keep, perfect for fans of Angie Thomas, Nicola Yoon, and Adam Silvera.
